Framework approach for system on chip software development

The demands for new embedded system products that provide new functionality are booming. The system on chip (SoC) technologies enables further cost, feature size reduction and makes embedded system product much more affordable accordingly. However, the software development for SoC product pushes the challenge further in reducing time to market. We propose a framework approach for embedded SoC software development that would (a) enable the parallel development in hardware and software, and (b) provide software framework for cross platform software reuse. Our approach is based on a tunable embedded software development platform (TESDP) that integrates an embedded software framework (ESF) and a simulated hardware framework (SHF). ESF provides a set real-time software frameworks that support cross platform reuse. SHF helps in decoupling the hardware and software development and enable the parallel development in software development parallel with the SoC hardware development. We demonstrate the feasibility of the TESDP approach with the development of a car-borne modular mobile data terminal (MMDT). MMDT provides data communication and global positioning capability for applications in the cargo truck fleet dispatching and monitoring. MMDT can also be applied in the domain related to intelligent transportation system (ITS).